Smart used the Yo app to give free test rides to San Franciscans last week. Yo is a free app wherein users tap a username to send a notification that simply says "Yo" to the recipient. Signs at locations in the Mission and SoMa neighborhoods gave instructions to send a Yo to SmartUSA for a free ride anywhere in the city. Three of the eight Smart vehicles used for the promotion were the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. The event allowed people to see how well suited the cars are to the city, particul

Electric vehicles are known for their brisk acceleration. When it comes to projected EV production levels for 2014, there's going to be some speeding up. According to research firm IHS Automotive, global plug-in vehicle production will increase to about 403,000 this year, up from 242,000 in 2013. That 67 percent growth marks an acceleration rate even higher than the 44 percent production growth rate the segment saw last year. And plug-in production growth easily outpaces the 3.6-percent growth r

Car shoppers are getting some pretty sweet deals on plug-in electric vehicles lately, with Honda joining the price cutting war with its Fit EV. Now that the early adopters are no longer in the market – they have theirs now – automakers are being pushed to bring down sticker prices to increase sluggish sales. The big question has become: What if these new car owners are dissatisfied with the EV experience?

When we heard Fiat announce the $199 lease price for the all-electric 500e, we figured it would have a big effect on the electric vehicle market. After all, $200 a month for an EV makes a lot of sense for a lot of commuters. The next EV to get a price tag was the 2014 Chevy Spark EV, which ended up with most of the same numbers ($199/month, $999 down, 36 months, 12,000 annual mile limit) but you have to pay $0.25 a mile for each one over 12,000 a year. Now we have the latest reaction: the Honda

For anyone wanting to get a clearer view of the "us vs. them" environment dividing electric-vehicle advocates and everyone else, Plug In Cars' take on Car and Driver's recent review of the Honda Fit EV is instructive.

Take all of the registered motor vehicles in Oregon, move them one state south and turn them all into hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. That's pretty much what the California Governor Jerry Brown has in mind, and the state has taken 32 pages to lay that process out.

Amid all the advancements to electric-powered vehicles and the stations that recharge them during the past few years, we can find plenty of reminders that we're still pretty new to all of this. In the latest case, the Honda Fit EV might not get along well with Ecotality's Blink charging stations. Specifically, Plug In Cars writer Colby Trudeau says his place of work has seven Blink charging stations, and that six of the 30-amp stations start overheating after about 20 minutes recharging his elec

Our friend Chelsea Sexton, co-founder of EV advocacy group Plug In America, says that Nissan, Coda and other electric-vehicle makers need to focus more on the heart and less on the head when it comes to pitching EVs to prospective buyers.

Honda continues its low-volume rollout of the Fit EV with a decision to lease 200 units in Japan over the next two years, mostly to local governments and businesses. After unveiling the car in the U.S. last November, Honda announced it expects to bring about 1,100 units to market over the next three years. The number could be larger, though, since Honda will be monitoring market acceptance to gauge production volume. We suspect the modest sales target has something to do with compliance with Cal

Honda has made good on its promise to deliver its first Fit EV, and that delivery took place in California on Friday. Matt and Becky Walton, of Ventura County, can now claim they have the first example of Honda's all-electric car, which costs $389 a month. The Waltons got the first Fit EV because they were the first ones to sign up for a lease at the car's website. They've owned at least four other Hondas, the automaker says, going back to the 1970s.